Beyond the Shadows
by drifting.manatee
Summary: Almost a decade ago, a mysterious incident devastated Armin's hometown and his livelihood. Now, something is brewing in the shadows, an ominous and malevolent force that Armin is seemingly linked to by some cruel twist of fate. Aided by a secretive supernatural organisation, Armin must confront the mysteries of his past to save himself from the darkness of the present.


The monotonous melody of tapping at his keyboard was interrupted by a distinctive knock at the door.

His fingers froze in place, digits hovering over vowels and consonants that would knit his thoughts together onto the screen in front of him. Glancing out the window, he noted that the previously opaque blackness of night was now bleeding whispers of crimson and orange, dancing and taunting his itching eyes.

Vaguely, he registered that the irritation in his eyes was probably down to a profound lack of sleep. He allowed himself to blink.

His vision flitted to the time. 3.32am. So the hours had slipped by him once more, as they tended to recently. It was becoming a worrisomely common occurrence, especially for one with his responsibilities. Most likely would be wise to call the session to a halt soon.

He had saved his document and halfway-shut the lid of his laptop when the door swung open. Familiar footsteps trod across the threshold, becoming silent once they were swallowed by the fringes of the musty rug at the room's centre. He calmly pushed his computer to the back of his desk, before swivelling his chair round to face the source of the early morning intrusion.

A momentary silent gaze was exchanged. Calculating blue ensnared by piercing grey.

"Didn't take you for the sort to go on the hunt for a late night snack," Erwin Smith remarked tonelessly, pressing his taut back into his chair. His jibe was met with a resolute silence from the man standing in front of him, whose eyes narrowed in something like irritation.

"Yeah, well," Levi rumbled, folding his arms across his chest and reconfiguring his scowl to the window behind Erwin's shoulder, "Let's just say I've been having trouble sleeping."

One nanosecond of a glance at the man's demeanour would be enough the verify this as the truth. His eyes, normally ringed with shadows enough as it was, were now weary with a different kind of weight. His hair, usually groomed into compliance within an inch of its life, now framed his head in unruly tufts- a signpost that he had surely been tossing and turning. And, Erwin realised almost in surprise, he hadn't even attempted to change into something more presentable, clad in a long-sleeved grey nightshirt and crumpled sweatpants, his bare feet sinking into the fibres of the rug.

All of these observations allowed Erwin to deduce that the man must have come straight to his office immediately after he was roused. Meaning, whatever had woken him up must have been of vital importance.

"What did you see?" Erwin queried gingerly. Levi continued his staring contest with the waking sky, his expression unchanged.

"It started off the same as last time, and the time before that," he muttered, "Same walls. Same voices. Same faces." He winced slightly. "That same powerful, desperate urge for bloodshed. That sure as hell hasn't changed." He paused to swallow, his face perhaps washing over with tinges of uneasiness. "Only… this time, something was… different."

"Oh?" Erwin's curiosity perked up at this new development. Levi's eyes locked with his for the first time since he entered the room, and Erwin noticed his unusual pallor for the first time. He was white as a sheet.

"There was this light. Nothing like I've ever seen before," he murmured, his expression becoming distant. "It was so intense, so blinding, that I felt like it was searing straight through my mind. While it was there, I couldn't even hope to see anything else." He took that moment to pause, uncrossing his arms and standing with them rigidly by his sides. "And yet…" He licked his lips. "There was something almost… reassuring about it at the same time. Like that initial pain was only a momentary sensation that would give way to something… safe." A laugh escaped his throat, low and mirthless, "I don't think I could ever adequately describe it even if I tried. But all I can say for certain is that, whatever it was, it's nothing I've ever experienced before."

The two men allowed a silence to fill the air between them as these words were absorbed and considered. Erwin began to suspect that Levi's experience had left him more shaken than the man would ever be willing to admit.

"And was he there again?" Erwin asked finally. Levi's hands clenched into tight fists, nails digging into the beds of his palms.

"Yeah," he mumbled, "The same as before." Erwin nodded grimly, lacing his fingers together in his lap.

"So it would be wise to suspect that he must be of some importance, then," he sighed. Levi eyed him warily.

"Something's coming, Erwin," he said slowly, something incomprehensible stirring in his gaze, "I felt it. I've been feeling it for a while now. And I know it's not just me- I think you have been too." He crossed his arms once more, chin jutting in the air slightly. Erwin smiled wanly.

"Last time I checked, I hadn't been burdened with your gift of foresight."

"Don't play coy. I know you don't have to be like me to feel it." He glared accusingly at Erwin's face. "You're creepily intuitive like that. It's like it's in your bones or something, and it's fucking weird." Erwin offered a grimly knowing chuckle by way of answer.

"I can't argue with you on that one, my friend," he exhaled. "These recurring dreams of yours… I'm a smart enough man to know not to dismiss them." He tilted his head slightly, fixing his stare on a crack in the ceiling. "That leaves the question of who- or what- is out there, and what exactly it is they want to do." He rubbed his weary eyes fiercely. "As much as I loathe to be a pessimist, I think it's safe to assume that these intentions may not be to ensure mankind's continued survival."

A heavy pause settled between the two, weighed down by the unspoken grievances the pair most certainly had towards the sense of foreboding that coloured their every move.

Levi's folded arms tightened across his chest.

"So what do we do?" he asked plainly, his blank expression betraying no hint of fear. Or anything, for that matter.

It took Erwin a second to determine the course of action that throbbed at the forefront of his mind.

"The boy. We bring him in."


End file.
